Dad handled the second round of chemo a little better than the first.  During the first round, by the fourth and fifth day, he was very weak and nauseous.  The second round didn’t hit him that hard – until the weekend.  He has felt weak and not up to doing a whole lot at a time. It’s been a struggle.

Another bad thing about chemo is the affects it has on parts of the body not affected by cancer.  Like teeth.  One tooth was to the point of just crumbling away, so he had to have it pulled.  He had already had one pulled prior to beginning chemo this time.  He has several places in his mouth now where he has no teeth at all.  Mom has kept him supplied with mashed potatoes and homemade puddings.  When the family gathered together for lunch on Easter Sunday, he still could not eat anything that couldn’t be mashed up to a soft state because of the soreness and fewer teeth to chew with.

It’s hard to understand sometimes why certain things happen in this life.  I struggled a lot with the “why Dad?” question when he first got sick.  I guess that was a big reason for beginning the series of blog posts that I have written about him.  I had to find a purpose, a reason to praise God in the midst of what seems to be, really, just plain unfair.  I had to keep remembering that God didn’t promise us life would be fair.  He did, however, promise us His Best. 

Stop and think.  If we could choose, and some have, would it be better to have things go perfectly here, being able to enjoy every pleasure this world can offer in exchange for an eternity without Christ?  Or, choosing a life with struggles, knowing that eternity with a perfect Savior will be more than this world can possibly offer?  This life is just a vapor.  Focusing on eternity with Christ is way sweeter than whatever temporary sweetness this life can offer without Him. 

So, have we figured out the why, yet?  No, not exactly.

One day when Dad finished his treatment, a lady was there sitting with her friend who was receiving treatment. The lady had recognized my Dad and told her friend he was a preacher. The lady taking treatment asked him if he was still preaching anywhere.  Dad told her that he wasn’t because of his health.  She then asked, “You still pray?”

Dad assured her that he did.  She asked him to pray for her.  So there in the treatment room, a small group of people, including two patients besides my Dad, formed a circle holding hands and he prayed.

I look back over the last few years and see so much that my Dad has had to go through.  And there is still much in front of him to have to endure.  But could it be that my Dad was there in that place, that very day, for that very reason?  To offer encouragement and a prayer to a God who hears and is faithful in an unfair world? Or maybe, someone among the many who have prayed for him through the years and have been touched by his story, maybe they were encouraged and challenged to draw closer to the Lord.

We could sit and play the guessing game, we could keep asking “why” all day long, but that doesn’t accomplish anything.  But when we leave the accomplishing up to God, much can happen.  He promises His Word will not return void.  So, if we continue to honor Christ, praising Him for the comfort and peace He has given, trusting Him to bring healing once again, and then praise Him for that healing when it comes, His Word will be proclaimed over and over.

Dad will start his third round of treatment on Monday, April 29^th.  Please continue to pray for him.

This struggle is not in vain, Dad. It’s not why, but Who.  And His purpose is being accomplished through you!

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.⁴ For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵ he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸ that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, ⁹ he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, ¹⁰ to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.  ¹¹ In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, ¹² in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. ¹³ And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.    Ephesians 1:3-14 (NIV)